


Breaking Hearts

by kinneyb



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reid gets injured and suddenly things aren't the same between him and Morgan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Do I really need to be starting a new fic right now? The answer is nope but I'm doing it anyway!

Reid was chasing their current suspect - Matt Grays - when it happened. His house was on uneven land, it wasn’t too shocking when he lost his footing and fell with a horrible sound of - 

 _crack_.

The pain wasn’t too much, not at first, because he was too focused on Morgan who ran up. Hotch followed soon after him, gesturing wildly. “Stay with him,” he said and JJ appeared at Hotch's side, “we’ve got him.” And without waiting, the two agents disappeared after Grays.

Morgan quickly crouched down by Reid, reaching a hand out for his leg. He softly looked it over, searching for any obvious signs of a broken bone. Morgan almost smiled for a second.

“Your poor leg is cursed, isn’t it?”

Reid glanced at him, obviously unimpressed with his joke, and Morgan ducked his head. “This isn’t funny, Morgan,” he said wincing, pressing a hand against the leg and hoping it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

“I know, kid, I know,” Morgan breathed, and Reid could see the shift in Morgan - the little change from his usual self to the worried mess he always became whenever something bad happened to him. In a way, it was comforting but now Reid understand why joking had been his first instinct. 

He wasn’t trying to be insensitive, he was trying to keep himself pulled together.

Reid wiggled, breathing out when pain rushed through him. 

Morgan ran a comforting hand up and down his arm. “I’m going to call an ambulance, okay?” Reid quickly looked at him, about to argue - it wasn’t  _that_ bad - but Morgan waved him off and stood up.

He watched as Morgan stepped a few feet away and called for help.

Reid peered back at his leg and examined the injury. It didn’t look broken thankfully but the pain indicated something was still wrong. He jumped when Morgan sat back down to him. 

“Pretty boy, I have some bad news.”

He furrowed his brows. “What is it?”

Morgan sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “The ambulance can’t come all the way up here. They said the stretcher was an option but it’d be better if they could get a good look at it right away.”

Reid nodded slowly. “Morgan, I can’t walk down ther - “

He cut him off. “I wouldn’t expect that of you. But I have an idea.”

Reid watched, confused and curious, as Morgan released  his shoulder and turned around. He ducked close to the ground, knees pressed into the gravel, and waited. Reid licked his lips.

“Come on, get on.”

Suddenly he understood what Morgan was thinking. Reid flushed. 

“Kid,” Morgan stressed after a moment, “we don’t have all day.”

Reid pushed away his thoughts. “I’m heavy - “

“Barely,” Morgan interrupted.

Reid chewed thoughtfully on his lip. “I’m covered in dirt - “

“As if I care,” Morgan interrupted again, and he was glancing back at him. He lifted an eyebrow. “Reid, you can either get on my back or I’m gonna carry you down this mountain over my shoulder. What sounds better?”

Pouting, Reid slowly reached up and held onto Morgan’s shoulder. Morgan started to stand up, and Reid quickly clenched onto him. He knew Morgan was strong and he knew he was pretty light, but it was still scary being an adult and being carried on someone’s back. He felt like he could fall any second but he knew Morgan wouldn’t let that happen.

The thought had him smiling as Morgan began walking down the hill.

“You really are light, you know,” Morgan mumbled, avoiding parts of the hill that appeared to be too steep. “I mean, I expected it but still - damn - what are you like a hundred pounds?”

Reid leaned his head slightly on Morgan’s shoulder. “No,” he huffed.

Morgan laughed, and Reid could feel him rumbling underneath him. “Okay, okay, but that doesn’t change a thing. You’re still as light as a feather,” Morgan teased, squeezing his uninjured leg.

“Feathers aren’t - “

Morgan snorted, moving around a tree that was blocking the way. “Pretty boy, I don’t need one of your facts or statistics right now.” He was starting to come up on the trail. Once he reached it, he immediately looked for a place Reid would be comfortable.

The only place with any cushioning was under a tree to the side of the trail. Good enough, he decided, as he walked over and gently placed Reid down on the ground. In the distant, the sound of sirens could be heard.

“Thanks,” Reid said, and Morgan glanced at him. 

“For what?” he asked, and Reid could see the sincerity in his eyes.

Morgan never did anything with hopes of getting praised for it. Maybe that’s one of the things that made him so interesting to Reid - made him so unique. He smiled, patting Morgan’s arm. “For helping me.”

Smiling, Morgan plopped down next to him. Reid hesitated, the idea flickering through his mind, before deciding he was injured. For once in his life he should be able to do what he wanted.

He scooted over, resting against Morgan.

Instead of acting shocked - or even grossed out, Reid really hadn’t known what to expect - Morgan reached up and buried a hand in his brown strands, running his fingers through his hair in a way that relaxed Reid and made his injury a lot less of a focus.

“I’m selfish,” Morgan mumbled suddenly, and Reid looked at him like he was crazy. Laughing, Morgan continued, ruffling his hair. “I mean, you always thank me and it just feels wrong.”

Reid was  _really_ confused now. He turned as much as he could, his injured leg not doing much to help him, and faced Morgan. “Why would that feel wrong? I’m thanking you because I’m thankful, Derek.”

Morgan licked his lips. “But I’m not doing it for you, I’m doing it for me.”

“Huh?” Reid asked, furrowing his brows. 

Morgan dropped his eyes onto the ground. Reid chewed impatiently on his lip, waiting for clarification. He leaned in, ignoring the small distance he left between him and the other agent. 

Finally Morgan continued, lifting his head. “I don’t protect you or worry about you like the others, and it’s not because of anything you’ve done - it’s because of me,” he paused, and it seemed like he was having trouble thinking of the words he needed, “it’s because I’m selfish and the thought of having to go on without you is terrifying.”

Reid blinked, searching Morgan’s face, still confused. “Derek - “

He cut him off. “Spencer, I’m selfish because I love you and I let it get in the way of everything. I let it get in the way of my job. If it was you and Hotch on the line, who do you think I’d save without a second thought?” Morgan ran his hand down the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, you’re injured and I - “

He laughed but it wasn’t his normal laugh, it was dry and empty. “And I just threw that onto you without even considering how you feel. See?” He patted his arm, his hand lingering there. “I told you I’m selfish.”

Reid watched as he stood up, never even giving him time to say a word. He gestured at the trail, and Reid noticed the upcoming ambulance. The alarms were so loud Reid knew his next words didn’t reach Morgan. Pain or not, he would’ve put off the ambulance if it meant getting to tell Morgan something important. Something he never thought he’d be able to say to him.

_"I love you, too.”_


End file.
